At a Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce conference on sea-level rise, one of the many scientists in attendance pointed to Belle Isle as a Miami Beach location specifically threatening by seas rising faster than previous believed.

According to the Real Deal, Keren Bolter, research coordinator for Florida Atlantic University Center for the Environmental Studies, said specific buildings on Belle Isle are at particular risk.

Bolter said that in as little as 15 years, flooding in Belle Isle will grow much worse, especially at Island Terrace, a 16-story condo built in 1967. “It’s coming up not just at the sides,” she said while showing Lidar maps depicting future sea-level rise at Island Terrace and Belle Isle. “It comes up from underground.” That’s partly because the limestone that South Florida land is predominately made of us is extremely porous. Because of this, not even sea walls will stop the flow of water, Bolter added.

One response to “Might the Belle Isle flooding threat be back? It looks bad for Island Terrace.”

If Bolter said flooding will grow much worse, rather than “may” grow much worse, then she must know things that others don’t. Let’s all recall that expert predictions are just as often wrong as they are right. Climate change seems like a significant global problem but specifically predicting its impact on one small area, based on short term analysis, is not good science.